Apparatus for blanking and forming jaws for steel traps



J. D. ZAHM May 31, 1932.

APPARATUS FOR BLANKING AND FORMING JAWS FOR STEEL TRAPS Filed May 24, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR gasp/1 1), 23/? ATTORN EY May 31, I932. J. D. ZAHM 7 1,860,828

APPARATUS FOR BLANKING AND FORMING JAWS FOR STEEL TRAPS Filed May 24,-1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR {asap/2 D. Zak

' ATTORNEY L TRAPS May 31, 1932.

J. D. ZAHM APPARATUS FOR BLANKING AND FORMING JAWS FOR S'IEE Filed May 24, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTO R gins Z25 2 M ATTORNEY Patented May 31, 1932 n STATES JOSEPH I). ZAEM, OF LITI'IZ, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANIMAL TRAP COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA APPARATUS on BLANKING AND FORMING JAwsron STEEL TRAPS v Application filed May 24,

This invention relates to a mechanism for the formation of blankssuch as strips, bars and the like by the cutting thereof from raw material and'the subsequent shaping ofthe same according to requirements.

It is the main object of the invention to provide an improved machine of the above character,- which will be wholly automatic in its operation.

' More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a machine adapted to produce curved, bowed or similarly shaped jaw members from sheet material.

A further object of the'invention is to provide a machine having a cutting mechanism and a forming or shaping mechanismwith feeding means for feeding the cut blanks to the forming mechanism.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the invention bein particularly indicated in the appende claims. I I

In the drawings j v Fig. 1 is a front view of one machine em bodying this invention; V

Fig. 2 is a side viewof the machine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of one portion of the machine with parts removed for the sake of clearness; r

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of the part of the machine shown in Fig. 3 also with parts removed; r

Fig. 5 is a plan view of portions of the mechanism; and f Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a further detailed portion of the mechanism.

In the actual specific construction illustrated in the drawings which forms one convenient embodiment of the invention as ap' plied to the formation of jaw members for animal traps, there is provided a ram lmovable vertically in the press frame 'under the action of a connecting rod 2 on a camshaft 4. The ram carries at its lower end azpunch 6 which cooperates with die 7;:located in the bed of the machine 8-. In front of the machine and at a lower level than the die, is located a j aw-forming member 10 whichmay appropriate times.

1929. 'Serial No. 365,655.

be of any desired shape. according to the actual'configuration it is required to give to the blank member. On the camshaft 4 is also an eccentric or cam 5 connected by means of :an

adjustable member 9 to a crosshead 415 carrying slide rods 3'movable inupper and lower 1 guide members respectively on the main frame 50, 51. "Theslide rods carry, at their lower ends finger members 11 and 12movable in slots 13and14 and providedwith.

springs 46, 47 whose function will be indi} cated hereafter. The inner ends of these ex tensions or fingers 11, 12 are so positioned that when the crosshead moves. vertically downwards they travel close to the sides of the jaw-forming member 10, as will be gatheredfrom Fig. 1. I

()neitherside of the j aw-forming member 10 and in front of the machine are supporting members, 15 and 16 pivoted at points 17 and 18 and controlled by springs 19 and 20.

crum. pin 26. are three lever members '27, 28

and-29, movable about the pin 26 under the I control of an upper arm or lever-member :30 attached to the central member 28 and ro-.

tatable with the same. The arm or lever 30 is so positioned that it lies in the path of travelof a cam member 31. mountedupon the ram which is provided with a suitably shaped slot into which the cam .30 projects at the I Beneath the blanking diet? and in register "therewith is a vertical slot 34 which communicates with the horizontal slot 33beneath the die, cut blanks/thus falling down slot.

34. into slot 33. In the slot 33 is located a the machine where the slot 33 terminates adjacent to the forming member .10. Placing 9 5 Q slidableplacingplate and the movement 1 roller 48 which contacts with: the ferW-ard face oi the middle cam 28.

In operation the ramis actuatedgbyancans of the camshaft 4 and the connecting rod 2 and oscillates vertically, cutting at each; de-

scent-3a blank fromva sheet of material placed over-the die-and the blanks socut'fall-doivn the slot 34% into theforwardly extending slot Upon the upward movement of the ram the upper end; of leverriding; in the slot in-thecam 31 is moved upwardly and back- Wardly and the cam levers-'22 28and 29 are moved forwardly so tha-t the placing plate contacts with the lowermost blank and moves it forward, this taking place When-the slot 34 is-fil'led with blanks and the placing pl'a-teis fi Xed in the machine.

' Upon the next downward movement of the ram the blanks located on the java-forming; member 10 is-heldby means of-the clamp 21 (Figure 1) actuated through the cam slot 2 L and the arm 23, and when so-held at its cen- *terfurthermotation of the sh aft causes movement downwards of the crosshea'd 1 .5 and the extensions or fingers 11 and 12 thereon contact with and" press down the ends of the blank projecting over the sides of the jawior-ming member 10 and theblank is thus shaped to the configurationof thej aw-former 10. v r The supporting members15 and 1:6 d ur ing this operation rotate about their pivots. 17

and 1'8 underpressure trom-the fingers 11 and 12 and" thus allow the-ends of the blanlt to be folded round the former; 0n the; return movement of 'the crosshead and the ram the fingers are raised. and are held: against the 'slide rods 3? by springs e6'and 4E7, andsupporting members 15 and 16' resume their horizontal position under the control" of springs: 19 and 20,= and the clamp 21 isreleased by the lever 28. -Upward' movement v ot the ram will also causea further. blank to be pnshedforward by theplate35 and just priorto this thekicker-rods and 431 "moved forwardagainst their associated V springs bythe levers 27 and 29 to remove the blank just previously formed from the jaw-forming member 10 so that the next unshaped blank can be positioned on top of the former. V

' O'n continued" rotation ofthe shaitjet the blanks are fed forward by the placingplate,

their ends resting upon the inner ends ofthe (Figs. 5 and 6). Asshown.

spring controlled members 15 and 16,-the finwith the blank the clamp 21 descends to hold L the center part thereof firmly on the forming memben 10.. a

The sheet material may be fed to the machine in sheets of a definite sizeautomatically or manually or may onthe other hand be arranged as a roll" and fed automatically to-themachine by the unrolling of the same.

It 'Will be seen, from the above, that there is provided a; machine in which blanks are cut and when so out are fed forward automati ca l 'ly "tonal sh a-ping or: fomnin'g device and are there automatically bent to the required shapeand when sosbent: and v shaped are ej ected inuthe finishedi condition. It will? be seen, furthermore, that; the whole cycle of. opera,-

tionsis purely automatic and. that. the machine requires little or no attention,- Whilstat thesame time-1t is of simple andetficlent' cone struction. 1

While tlieinventio-n hasbeen described in detail with; respect to one speclfic embodiment "tor. the formation: ol jawmembers for am mal traps it is to be understood that thisiis simply'a convenient:construction for illustrati ve purposes I and the invention iscapableof use in: machines for the formation of any curved on otherwise shaped body such as a handle, lever or the-l'ike-and i's'capable of many and various modifications. The invention, therefore,- is not to be-taken as limited to the embodiment shown but as being pa-rticul'arly defined in the appended claims. W'hatI claim'i'sz 1. A blank-forming machine comprising-gt movable member, a punch memberand finger members thereon, a cuttingdie operatively associated with said punchmember and'means for fee'dingaa" blank from said cutting: to sai'd fingermembers 22 'Al jaw-formingmachine comprising a vertically movable meinber 'carryingfa punch member and forming" members; adapted to contact with the ends or unformedjaws a' die operatively associatedwithsaid punch memher and reciprocating meansadapted to move under, the control of. said vertically. movable 7 member to feedlunformedgjaws fromjsaid' die to. said iorming membersr 3- Amachine? omprising a ramvcari ying' a' punch member; a, die' membenoperatively associated, thereW-itl1,-, arormer; former-arms mountedion said ramiadapted to contactwith and; bendbla-nks around said former and meansafor feeding blanks from said die to said-former;

j 4s. ,m-achine fer-the formation of jaw -members,- cemprising aram, a'punch on said "ramgand a die operatlvely associated with .sai'cl punch, a slidable member being located mechanism to the shaping mechanism, a cam.

. on said ram and an arm attached to said slidable member and lying in the path of said cam.

6. A die-cutting and blank-forming machine having a ram a cam on said ram, an arm having one end in the path of said cam, a slidable member adapted to move the blank laterally of the ram and operatively connected to said arm.

7. A .machine for the formation of jaw members from blanks having a ram, a cam and fixed former-arms on said ram adapted to contact with said blanks, a former adapted to operate with said former arms, a slidable member operatively associated with said cam and adapted to move the blanks on to said former. v V

8. A machine according to claim 6 having a further slidable and relatively movable member operatively connected to said arm and adapted to eject the formed blank from the machine.

9. A machine according to claim 7 having a pair of slidable members operatively associated with said cam and adapted to eject the formed blankfrom said former.

10. A machine for forming jaw members from blanks comprising a ram, a punch, a cam and finger members on saidram, a die and a former, an arm having one end in the path of said cam and a pair of slidable members operatively connected to said arm and adapted to move the blank from the die to the former and to eject the formed blank from the former respectively.

11. A die-cutting and blank forming machine comprising a ram having a punch, a die bed, a die on said die bed to cooperate with the blanks on the former, and a cam on said iam adapted to actuate said clamping mem- 15. A die-cutting and blank forming machine comprising a die, a ram, a punch on said ram cooperating with said die, a former,

means for feeding the blanks fromsaid die to said former and resilient supporting means for supporting said blanks on said former. I

16. A die-cutting and blank forming machine according toclaim 15 having clamping means actuated by said ram for clampingthe V blanks on the former.

17. A die-cutting and blank forming machine comprising a ram for cutting the blanks, a former, means for feeding the blanks to said former, finger members on said ram adapted to contact. with the blanks to bend the same around the former, and resilient supporting means for said blanks adapted to be moved by said finger member s.

18. A die-cutting and blank forming machine comprising a ram, a punch on said ram, a die cooperating with said punch and having a slot, a former, means for moving blanks from the base of said slot to said former, finger members on said ram for bending the blanks around said former and resilient sup porting means for said blanks adapted to bemoved by said finger members.

19. A die-cutt'ng and blank formingmachine according to claim 18 having clamping means actuated by said ram for holding the blanks on the former.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. JOSEPH D. ZAHM.

said punch, said die and die bed having slots I in register, forming means adjacent said die and means for moving out blanks from the base of the slot to said forming means.

12. A die-cutting and blank forming machine according to claim 11 having clamping means on said die bed adapted to clamp the blanks subsequent to said movement.

13. A die-cutting and blank forming machine comprising a ram for cutting said blanks, a former, finger members on said ram 7 adapted to contact with said blanks and bend the same on said former, and clamping means on a fixed part of the. machine adapted to clamp the blanks on said former prior to contact by said finger members.

14:. A die-cutting and blank forming machine comprising a ram for cutting said blanks, a former, a clamping member on a fixed part of the machine adapted to clamp 

